New York · Nonprofit
THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC
THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC (New York) receives grants from 59 organizations whose IRS filings report $7,536,066 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($1,566,355). 35 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 70% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2024
- $4.4M
- Funders on record
- 59
- Grants received
- $7.5M
- Net assets
- $423k
What The Institute on Religion and Public Life Inc does
Mission
The institute on religion and public life is an interreligious, nonpartisan research and educational 501(c)(3) organization. The institute's mission is to articulate a governing consensus that supports: (see schedule o)- a religiously pluralistic society that defends human dignity from conception to natural death.- a democratic, constitutionally ordered form of government supported by a religiously and morally serious culture.- a vision of freedom that encourages a culture of personal and communal responsibility.-loyalty to the western tradition that provides a basis for responsible global citizenship.the institute's flagship program, first things magazine, is the leading intellectual journal of its kind in the united states. In addition to publishing ten issues of first things each year, the institute hosts educational programs that promote religiously informed analysis of culture, society, theology, and politics.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
First things magazine, the institute's flagship program, seeks to reach a broad public audience of religious believers and others concerned with the intersection of religion, culture, politics, and society in the public square. The magazine has a diverse and influential readership; from political leaders in washington dc and industry executives in new york, to officials at the vatican, protestant clergy, college students, teachers, and families around the country.while our primary audience is in the united states, the magazine has a international following through firsthings.com. In the past twelve months, over 859,000 web sessions originated from outside the us, representing 26% of total web traffic for the year. First things also held several international academic symposia in europe and asia.first things magazine is published ten times a year, with an average circulation of over 26,000. Firstthings.com complements and extends the reach of the print magazine. In the past twelve months, firstthings.com received over 8.7 million page views from 3.1 million unique visitors and served over 1.8 million podcast listens. First things also maintains an active social media presence, with…
$3,124,033 spent$835,871 earned by the program91% of program spendingEducation programs:beyond print and online publications, first things educational programs are a long standing, and ever growing, commitment. The institute believes strongly that creating a visible community of believers is an important part of accomplishing the mission. Each year the institute sponsors and hosts a variety of educational events and academic colloquia in order to engage our friends, subscribers, national influencers, as well as noted scholars and promising students.some examples of first things' educational offerings are:1. The first things seminar program in new york.the inaugural first things intellectual retreat was held in new york city in 2015, titled "the paradox of freedom." interest in the seminar was remarkably strong and enrollment was at capacity. Given the success of the first retreat the program expanded every year since to other cities in the us. In addition to the new annual retreat in new york city, first things has retreats in los angeles, waco, philadelphia, and washington dc to meet the demand among readers in those regions of the country. The themes and assigned readings for the retreats vary and have covered topics such as economics and the…
$301,755 spent$83,664 earned by the program9% of program spending
The 2 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $3,425,788.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2021 to 2022, from $2.0M to $3.8M (+87%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2020 3% · 2021 8%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 5 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Colin Moran
Chairman & pres
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 15 funders to 26 funders, grant income rose $628k → $934k.
24 of 59 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 70% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 59 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 21% of grant income, and it takes 3 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 3 funders to its left
71% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 41% · 2018 37% · 2019 33% · 2020 20% · 2021 27% · 2022 24% · 2023 24% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
59% of THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 59% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
70% of THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $2.2M that is directly attributable, 96% of it comes from funders outside New York, across 19 states.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $5.3M arriving through sponsors registered in 20 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Government funding THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $130k on record.
- National Endowment for the Humanities$130k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In New York
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
78% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
89%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC?
- THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC (New York) receives grants from 59 organizations whose IRS filings report $7,536,066 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($1,566,355). 35 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 70% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC have?
- IRS filings report 59 organizations giving $7,536,066 in grants to THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC, 35 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC?
- FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND is the largest funder on record, with $1,566,355 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in New York. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Institute on Religion and Public Life →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 59 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing